What's really in there?

The Boston GlobeCHICAGO TRIBUNE

The massive recall of tainted pet food in the U.S. is sparking a broader debate about the quality of the food Americans are feeding their pets.

Pet food stores say the most recent recalls, which have been linked to contaminated wheat gluten from China, have prompted many consumers to shift to more expensive natural, organic and holistic pet foods that contain recognizable meats, fruits, and vegetables.

Connie Kastelnik of West Roxbury, Mass., said she initially was relieved to learn that the Hill's Pet Nutrition food she buys for her dog Dillon was not on the recall list. When Hill's recalled a dry cat food, however, she and her husband decided to start investigating more natural alternatives.

"When something like this happens, it destroys your trust in the industry," Kastelnik said. "You don't know if tomorrow there will be something else."

Rebecca Remillard, a veterinarian-nutritionist at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain, Mass., said the shift to natural and organic products is understandable but not necessary nutritionally.

She said there is no difference nutritionally between a $1.19 can of Wellness Turkey Formula cat food containing turkey, chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots, cranberries, and zucchini and a 45-cent can of Friskies Special Diet Turkey & Giblets Dinner containing turkey with meat and poultry "byproducts."

According to the labels on the two cans, both meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officers.

Remillard said the Wellness product, manufactured by Old Mother Hubbard, is being marketed to the sensibilities of the pet owner and not the pet.

"You're familiar with chicken. You don't know what's in chicken byproducts," she said.

A Mother Hubbard spokeswoman did not comment.

Kastelnik, a customer of The Pet Cabaret in Roslindale, Mass., said she isn't sure whether she will ultimately switch brands, but she says the more natural products certainly sound better. She said her Hill's dog food had ingredients like powdered cellulose, peanut hulls, and chicken and soybean meal. The pet food she is currently feeding her dog, a Bouvier des Flandres, contains turkey, chicken, barley, potatoes, apples, carrots, alfalfa sprouts, and even cottage cheese.

The FDA has traced the tainted wheat gluten to shipments from a single Chinese exporter between Nov. 3 and Jan. 23. The wheat gluten was contaminated with melamine, a chemical found in plastics and pesticides.

The problem was uncovered last month during tests by private-label pet food manufacturer Menu Foods of Canada. On March 16, Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans and pouches of wet pet food. Recalls have since been made public by Hill's, Del Monte Foods and Nestle Purina Pet Care.

Procter & Gamble, which markets the IAMS and Eukanuba pet food brands, ran ads in 59 newspapers last week apologizing to customers because certain wet foods manufactured for the company by Menu Foods had been included in the recall.

"We are heartsick," the company said in the ad.

Pet stores and supermarkets have pulled recalled products while others have posted signs saying their food is not subject to the recall.

"It has opened people's eyes," said Jen Buehler of Pet Shop Girls in Boston, which sells natural pet foods. "It has opened a whole conversation with customers about what's good for their pet."

Whole Foods Market and PETCO Animal Supplies both say they have seen customers gravitating toward natural pet foods, although officials at the two chains declined to quantify how much sales of natural pet foods have increased.

"What we're seeing is a shift," said Don Cowan, a spokesman for PETCO.

DiPietro at The Pet Cabaret said customers are scrutinizing labels more closelys.

"We've just seen a steady uptick in business and a steady uptick in concern," she said. "People have become increasingly alarmed."

RECALL AT A GLANCE

- Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of nearly 100 store- and major-brand pet foods, announced the first recall March 16. Last week, it expanded the recall to include a broader range of dates and varieties.

- Other companies, including Hill's Pet Nutrition, Del Monte Pet Products and Nestle Purina PetCare, have since recalled some of their products.

- Last week, dog biscuits made by Sunshine Mills and sold by Wal-Mart under the Ol'Roy brand were recalled.

- The U.S. government has blocked wheat gluten imports from the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development in the Chinese city of Xuzhou, saying they were tainted with melamine, which has been found in some pet food.

- As of Thursday, the FDA had received more than 12,000 complaints but has confirmed only about 15 pet deaths. [AP].

Find recalled brands

- For specific brands and manufacture dates, go to www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html